South Florida Babies
Nicksgirl121
member
Plane/Travel Stress
Nicksgirl121
member
So I don't know why I'm having issues with this, considering we brought Riley to Colorado for a full week last year and she was only 6 weeks. Maybe the thought of bringing a 13 month old is scaring me a bit. We are flying out at the end of the week for our annual week long vacation in Colorado. I'm super excited because we haven't had a vacation since Colorado last year so this is way over due. I am, however, stressing a bit just thinking about what I need to pack for Riley mostly for the flights there and back.
So, for you experienced "Flying Mommies" I have some questions I hope you can answer and please give advice on things that worked for you...
1.) Did you bring your carseat on the plane or did you check it? Riley does have a seat but I'm wondering if it would be easier and more comfortable for all if we just checked it. We'll have to carry it through the Atlanta airport for our connecting flight. But, then again, I do like the idea of being able to contain her in it if need be.
2.) Toys, Books and Dvd's-Riley loves watching her einstein dvds. Is a portable dvd player a good thing to have on the plane? What kind of toys did you bring and did you limit yourself on the quantity?
3.) Snacks and drinks- Are there new regulations out there for drinks? Can I bring her milk and juice or do I need to buy some once I get through security?
I guess I don't want to have too much stuff to carry but definitely enough stuff to keep Riley happy. I want to limit myself on what to bring but not to the point where I end up regreting not having what she wants. Can you tell I'm stressing over this WAY too much?! Thanks for reading this far!
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Re: Plane/Travel Stress
We haven't flown yet but we did just get back from a 3400 mile car trip.
We took WAY too much junk.
How long is the flight? 4 hours?
I would probably take a few quiet toys too so your neighbors don't get upset. I put a way a few toys before we left on the trip and then brought them along with us. That way it was something that he really liked to play with and maybe missed a little. That might work even better with an older child.
Hopefully she'll sleep some of the time. Good luck!
We just flew with Alexis in May -I have a blog entry about it actually. I agree - I had flown with her twice before as a baby and I did not have near the amount of stress I had with her then as I did now that she's a toddler!!!
Do you have a seat for her? if so then defnitely bring the car seat. Otherwise bring it to the gate and see if there's a seat next to you that's open. I highly recommend bringing the car seat if you can. Of there is no open seat, you can check it at the gate. Also - ask at the gate about them blocking a seat next to you for Riley - if it's not a full flight and the attendant is nice they will do it, or they will ask whoever is there to move and most likely they will move.
Portable DVD player is a MUST HAVE!! It totally helped keep Alexis calm. I bought 2 new DVDs - Elmo and the backyardigans and she was mellow watching them. I brought too many toys - I woukd have been ok with a few books and just a couple of her favorite toys. Definitely bring snacks and water. You have to buy the water and the milk once you get through security. Check the gate first and make sure there is a plce to buy milk - we got it at Starbucks.
Good luck!
Ok so I'll definitely be bringing the carseat and Dvd player then! And yes we did purchase a seat for her.
Our flight is about 1.5 hours to atlanta then around 3 the rest of the way to colorado.
That's good to know about the toys too-I'l limit them which will save space and stress.
Leanna-I'll go check out your blog now
If you bought a seat for her then bring it onboard. It'll make your life a ton easier! You'll get to board first so you'll have time to strap the seat in and get her in before the plane gets too cramped. Try not to take too much stuff for carry-ons because the carseat alone will be enough to maneuver.
A portable dvd player is great but since she can't use headphones yet you'll have to keep the volume WAY down on the plane. If that's not an issue for her then bring it.
I had no issues traveling with Mikey's milk and juice in his sippy cups. They made me open up the milk so they could "test" it but they only did that out of FLL.
I know its stressful, I've been there, but soon enough you'll be a seasoned traveling with a toddler mom!
We just got back 2wks ago from Puerto Rico.
1. I didn't take his carseat, but in your case since you do have a seat for her, take the carseat. 4 hours is a lot of time to try to keep her in the seat/lap entertained.
2. Portable DVD in my case wasn't used cause he fell asleep, but if you are traveling during her awake hours then do keep it handy.
3. As for toys, bring the least possible. i'd say the 2 she cares about the most, you will have enough to carry with a carseat and all. Ayden was entertained with the magazines, cups and napkins, even the buttons on the seat.
4. As for milk, juices. You can bring all that with you, you don't have to buy any of it past security. I took RTF opened and closed, bottles already made and even a bottle of water, like Sammy said, they tested it but that was it.
Hope you have a great flight, don't stress.
I flew 7 times with Nicky during his first year. The last flight was when he was 12 months old and I didn't have the carseat with me because I figured he would just sit on my lap....well, he was horrible! He kept squirming to get down and walk around and cried the whole time because I couldn't let him. I don't know how active Riley is, but if she is an on-the-go kind of girl, I would bring the carseat on the plane.
A portable DVD player is a lifesaver! I also planned his meals and naps of the day around the flights so a big portion of the time would be spent eating and sleeping.
Every time I flew was different, depending on the person doing the gate check. Some made me throw out al liquids, others allowed them. It's really not a big deal though because you can get milk, water and juice on the plane.
Another thing you might consider getting (or you're welcome to borrow mine) is a Go Go Baby (or something like that) attachment for your car seat if you have upgraded to the convertible one, if not the other is easy enough to carry. It hooks to the back of your carseat and it's on wheels, like a suitcase with a telescope handle. This way you don't have to carry your carseat through the airport and you can use it as a stroller, just strapping her in and wheeling her around. It saved my life when we traveled with Noah. Another reason I loved bringing his seat is because he was comfortable in it for sleeping and that didn't change on the plane. Without it they tend to be all over the place.
Good luck and have fun! I'm so jealous! I would love to see the process although I'm sure it's pretty crazy. Get some pretty birds and enjoy yourself!